NARRATION AND NARRATORS

Narrativethe story

Narrationthe act oftelling a story

Narratorwho or whattells the story

Narratorwho or what tells the story;

A) Voiceover (character or nondiegetic narrator)

B) The camera

Narrationthe act oftelling a story;

the flow ofstory information,moment by moment,over the course of the movie

Unrestricted vs. Restricted Narration

Range of Story Information

Unrestricted (omniscient):we know more, see and hear more,than any character

Restricted:we don’t know, see or hearmore than the main character

Unrestricted (omniscient)narration has unrestricted access to all aspects of the narrative. It can provide any character’s experiences and perceptions, as well as information that no character has. The viewer knows more, sees more, and hears more than any of the characters.

His Girl Friday’s unrestricted (omniscient) narration alternates between scenes of many different characters. We know more, and see more, than any one character.

We know about Walter’s plans to keep Hildy from going to Albany.

We know how Walter schemes to get Bruce in trouble.

We know that the governor has given Earl Williams a reprieve.

We know that Hildy is hiding Williams in the desk.

What are the advantages of unrestricted narration in His Girl Friday?

Restrictednarration limits the information it provides the viewer to things known only to a single character. This approach encourages the viewer to identify with the character’s singular perspective.

Restricted narration in Chinatown limits the information it provides viewers to Jake’s perspective.

What are the advantages of restricted narration in Chinatown?

His Girl Friday Chinatown(unrestricted narration) (restricted narration)viewer JakeWalter viewerHildyBruce

The higher someone is on the scale, the greater his or her knowledge.

Unrestricted or Restricted?

The 400 BlowsSherlock Jr.Written on the WindAtonementThe Godfather

Objectivevs. Subjective Narration

Depth of Story Information

Objective Narration:focus on external behavior,what characters say and do

Subjective Narration:focus on what characterssee and hear;representation of mental state, interiority

Objective Narration

Subjective Narration: Jake’s POV

Chinatown

Subjective Narration: Marion’s thoughts

Psycho

Objective Narration Subjective Narration: Alicia’s POV

Notorious

Subjective Narration: Alicia’s mental state

Notorious